New Gensokyo Railway Series 3 (Maybach the Troubled Engine)
by Pergold
Summary: Yukari Yakumo brought back the engineer Rika. She designed an engine to work the Sanzu River Branchline. But the engine, named Maybach (after his two engines, which were used in the Panzer III), was riddled with faults. How will he cope with his various issues? Find out!
1. A Letter From the Author

Dear Friends,

Yukari Yakumo has brought back another person from the old Gensokyo, her name is Rika. She, just like Nitori, is an engineer. Gensokyo Railway hired her to be an assistant to Nitori. One of her first orders of business was to build an engine for managing the Sanzu River Branchline since the work is done by either engines owned by Higan China Clay, or by GR owned engines that weren't busy at the time.

Since the railway is building a new branchline, and the Scarlet Controller has chosen of the other engines to it. It became clear that a new engine had to be built.

But this new engine had some 'issues' that needed to be taken care of, it also didn't help that Rika only had experience building tanks as opposed to railway locomotives.

I have written another book, and the new engine was pleased to hear its about him. I even said it might help him when he feels like he can't do anything because of his mechanical faults.

Sincerly,

The Author


	2. Double Teething Troubles

Haruka and Haruki were shunting trucks at the harbor. The two were busy, until they started getting into an argument.

"These trucks are mine, Haruki! Your trucks are over there!" said Haruka.

"No they aren't! _These_ are mine!" argued Haruki.

"It's mine!"

"No! Its mine!"

Cobol rolled by and stopped close to the twins, "Be careful, you two or might get into a-"

It was too late, Haruka and Haruki charged forward to the same line of trucks, the two slammed into each other as they went on the set of points.

"an accident." finished Cobol.

The twin engines still argued with each other until the Scarlet Controller arrived.

"Hello Cobol, Hello Haruka and Haruki." she greeted.

"What brings you to the docks, Miss?" asked Cobol.

"I came here to tell you that a new engine will help out with this branchline, since motive power on this line has been 'inconsistant'. So I requested another engine to help." she said.

"Thanks sir." said Cobol.

The Scarlet Controller looked at the derailed, but still arguing twins, and said, "As for this, this is the harbormaster's problem, not mine."

The Scarlet Controller was on her way back and was about to board a stopped passenger train, when she was asked by her head maid, Sakuya Izayoi.

"Are you sure the new engine will work? He's a new build by someone who isn't Nitori." said Sakuya.

"I'm sure he'll work. What could possibly go wrong?" replied the Scarlet Controller, in a naive way.

The new engine was on his way to the docks, his name was Maybach, named after his two engines. However, the engines inside of Maybach were good at propelling a Panzer III, but weren't so good for a locomotive. He was at the foot of Hiroto's Hill. The sun was beaming down on him, and the incline was straining on him.

"Oh dear. The sun is so hot and this hill is so steep, I hope my engine can make it." said Maybach.

But his hopes were too high. The cooling system broke down, and Maybach stopped with a splutter and a cough. He was stuck on the mainline. Soon, Cobol arrived with some kappas that were going to look at engine.

"So your the new engine." said Cobol.

"Sorry to have made a bad impression." replied Maybach, "Its my teething troubles."

"It happens to the best of us. I remember the time I left a patch of oil when I took out some trucks."

"For me, its my engines. Sometime I strain it and a part gets damaged. Right now, I think its my cooling systems."

Then Akemi, came puffing up the hill and had partially heard the conversation between Maybach and Cobol. He arrived at the docks and saw Haruka and Haruki messing about with the trucks.

"Hi Haruka and Haruki." said Akemi.

"Do you hear? About the new engine?" asked Haruka.

"I saw him, I think he stopped because of a toothache." replied Akemi, who had misheard Cobol and Maybach's conversation.

"A toothache?!" said the twins.

"Something like that." said Akemi.

Akemi left his trucks for Haruka and Haruki to sort. The two engines didn't get to see the new engine until the next day.

The new engine arrived sometime in the late morning.

"Hello. I'm Maybach." he introduced himself, he saw the line of china clay trucks, "Oh are those trucks for us?"

"Yes." said Haruka, unsure of what to think of the BR Class 17.

"Oh good! I'll take the back and you two can take the front." said Maybach.

The three engines were coupled up to the train and set off for the Human Village. The journey went well, until they got to Hiroto's Hill. Haruka and Haruki tried their best to climb the hill, but they were beginning to slow down. This put further strain on Maybach's engine.

"Come on! Come on!" said Maybach, trying to push the train uphill.

The train got close to the summit, when Maybach's engine overheated.

"Oh no." said Maybach, glumly.

"Oh great!" said Haruki, "The diesel failed!"

As Maybach's driver was looking him over. Haruka and Haruki's crew made some arrangements. One of their drivers told the two twins.

"How about we pull this train and the failed diesel ourselves?"

"Yes! Let's do it!" replied the twins.

Their crew spread sand on the rails and the two engines set off, slowly at first. But soon they gained speed and went over the summit and coasted down the hill.

The two engines made up time and arrived just in time at the goods yard at the Human Village station. Haruka and Haruki had to shunt Maybach into a siding.

"I'm sorry about your toothache." said Haruki.

Maybach laughed, "No. No. I have teething troubles, my engines and cooling systems just are just developmental, they'll be made better soon."

"I do hope you'll be made better soon. You seem to be such a nice engine." said Haruka.

"Yes...Yes...I hope." said Maybach, slipping into a glum mood.


	3. Super Rescue

Maybach was sent to the sheds after he had been mended at the works. He was fitted with some new parts, but he didn't feel much more confident in himself. He stood in a berth next to Cobol, "Its time, Cobol. That I think I need to be rebuilt." he said, sadly.

"Shhh! Don't be such a spoilsport about yourself." replied Cobol.

"But its that Rika! She built me like a tank!" responded Maybach.

"That Rika must be a fraud!" said Ahiru, crossly, "She must know nothing about how to build an engine! Nitori built us with such quality, that could take a train home, only on one cylinder!"

Maybach began to tear up.

"Ahiru." said Cobol, "Look at what you made him feel."

"Its not my fault that his builder was such a _baka_!" replied Ahiru.

The next day, Kenta was going to Kappa Valley from the Hakurei Shrine tender first.

"Oh, my regulator failed. My driver says its jammed wide open, and now he can only drive me with my reverser." moaned Kenta.

He soon came to a signalbox, beside him was Cobol. He was taking an empty goods train from Hakurei Shrine station. The signalwoman had a terrible morning and was venting her frustration on Cobol.

The signalwoman looked at Kenta and said, "Take this tin can away! I've had it with him! He failed and won't stop complaining about it!"

"Oh please!" said Cobol, "Just because you were late to work, had some tea spill on you, and had an argument with your girlfriend. Doesn't mean you have to take it out on _us_ engines."

The signalwoman just gave Cobol a dirty look. "Just...take this damn engine...away...HE...IS...BLOCKING...THE LINE!"

Kenta was keen to avoid staying by with the signalwoman and soon backed down onto Cobol and was coupled up. They were traveling down the line when Kenta asked why Cobol had stopped.

"Some bad fuel, I'm afraid. It clogged my engine up really good, thank goodness I was able to make it this far." he said.

But up the line, Maybach was pulling a passenger train to the Sanzu Resort, which was at the end of the Sanzu River branchline. Engines have a pump called an ejector, which keeps air from coming into the brakes. If it fails, air leaks in and the brakes come on, gently at first, but harder and harder as more and more air leaks in. Maybach's ejector had failed.

"These coaches are getting awfully heavy for me." he said, straining.

His driver knew that if he continued on, the engine might breakdown from being overworked. So he stopped the train. The signalwoman nearest to the train was notified and a message went down the mainline, to where Kenta was.

"And I thought everybody would be laughing at me! But now, I get to move two broken down diesels!" said Kenta.

Kenta got to the back of Maybach's train, and Kenta's crew met with Maybach's driver.

"Its better than we thought." Kenta's driver told her engine, "Maybach can help pull, so long we keep the brakes off. The only weight we would have is Cobol's train."

Kenta was coupled to Maybach's train and the two engines pushed forward.

"Don't strain yourself, Maybach!" called out Cobol from behind.

"I...won't!" replied Maybach.

Kenta and Maybach's main challenge came in the form of Hiroto's Hill. Kenta pushed all his hardest up the hill, making sure that Maybach's engine doesn't fail.

"I feel a tingling from my engine." said Maybach.

"Don't think about it!" replied Kenta.

The engines went down the other side of the hill and things became easy again. The two finally made it to the Sanzu Resort and the passengers cheered for Kenta. The coaches were left at the resort and Cobol's trucks were left at the harbor and the three engines went to the works.

"You engines are so much better. You have a good designer who makes such reliable engines." said Maybach.

"Reliable? I had a jammed regulator." said Kenta.

"You?! Failed! Yet you..." Maybach's word drifted off in amazement.


	4. Maybach and the Amulet

Maybach was sent back to work after a few days spent in the works. He was in the harbor. Haruka and Haruki had been returned to the railway across the Sanzu River in Higan.

The other engines were busy with other parts of the railway, and only had Big Daisuke and the tugs keeping him company. Kanabo brought in several barges with refrigerated containers in them.

"What's that?" asked Maybach.

"These are full of things like vegetables and meat." replied Kanabo, "They're for a feast being held at the Moriya Shrine."

"A feast?" replied Maybach.

"Its a large gathering of people who come and eat." explained Kanabo.

"The only thing I eat is time and parts." said Maybach, glumly.

"Oh don't feel so bad about yourself." replied Kanabo.

"But whenever I pull a train, my engine overheats or my ejector fails. I'm just a failed design."

"Don't say that. You said you got a new ejector installed, right?"

"Yes." replied Maybach.

"And today isn't even that hot, right?"

"Right." said Maybach. It had only been hot, due to a heatwave that had hit Gensokyo.

"Alright chaps! The containers are unloaded and you down there. The sad one. Your train is being loaded right now!" said Big Daisuke, it was his operator, who spoke from a megaphone, coming out of the big crane's side.

"I must go now. But I hope you have a safe trip and nothing goes wrong." said Kanabo, "Bye."

Maybach didn't respond, he was too busy thinking about what was going to happen next. His train was soon loaded and he was ready to go. The train was easy to move and Maybach felt better because of it. He enjoyed having not to worry about not breaking down. Maybach then felt more excited once he noticed that he didn't have to go up Hiroto's Hill.

"Oh joy! I don't have to climb any hills!" he said to himself.

He was so confident in himself, that he didn't notice that his rear engine was beginning to smoke. He passed a signalbox before he noticed a burning smell.

"Driver? What's that?" he asked.

His driver looked back and saw a thick black pillar of smoke coming from behind.

"Holy gods! Your engine is on fire!" his driver exclaimed.

Maybach was stopped, as his driver got out a fire extinguisher and opened the rear engine's access door and sprayed inside. It took a few minutes, before the flames were finally put out.

"Oh dear. Now I'll have to need another engine!" said Maybach, now back to his depressed self.

"I don't think we need another engine." said his driver, "Your front engine is still good. If we're careful, it won't be overworked and we can get to the Moriya Shrine station."

His driver walked back into the cab and disabled the rear engine. Maybach, slowly but surely, started to move forward. It was slow going, but he made it.

There, standing by the platform, was Kanako Yasaka and Sanae Kochiya.

"Your late." said Kanako, narrowing her eyes at the diesel.

Maybach looked down at the rails in despair. His driver got out of the cab and explained to the miko and the goddess that Maybach's rear engine had caught fire and had to finish the journey on only one engine.

"Impressive, but that still doesn't mean that you had to be late."

Maybach plucked up courage, "But I would be even later if another engine had to take my place!"

Kanako, now even more cross, just told the engine that he was worthless.

"Your right! My design is a failure, nothing but bad luck." said Maybach, beginning to cry.

"Bad luck?" said Sanae.

She ran up to the shrine, and in a few minutes, came back down with a queer looking tag.

"What is that?" asked Maybach.

"Its called an _omamori_. Its an amulet that we sell at the shrine. This one helps with luck." said Sanae.

Kanako looked at Sanae with disgust. "Why are you giving our _omamori_ away for free?"

"This engine had been through a lot. I think Remilia would like it if this engine didn't fail every time he so much as moved a wheel." said Sanae.

"Here, take it." she said as she gave the _omamori_ to Maybach's driver.

The driver tied the _omamori_ around Maybach's throttle. Maybach was soon uncoupled from the train and was put on a siding, so an engine could take him back to the works once more.


	5. Maybach's Runaway

Maybach was once again returned to service after his rear engine was repaired. But because the _omamori_ his driver received, he didn't go back to the works for weeks. He pulled goods and passenger trains up and down the Sanzu Branchline _._ His newfound confidence made him feel good, for once he didn't feel like a failed engine.

One day, at the shed, before he was sent out for work, he boasted about himself.

"You see, dear Ahiru." he began, "You don't need to be one of Nitori's engines to be reliable. What you need is some reworking, some trial and error, and your good to go!"

"Oh dear, I don't like the sound of this." said Shiro.

"I just hope this doesn't end bad." replied Ahiru, who taking no notice of Maybach's boasting.

Maybach was soon sent to shunt in the docks, he was getting Kenta's goods train ready, when the harbormaster showed up.

"Maybach, I need you to take Kenta's train. He is needed elsewhere at the moment. Think you can do it?" she said.

"I will." said Maybach, proudly.

Some tugboats overheard him, "I don't like how this is going to end." said Ten Yen.

"Oh come on, Ten Yen." replied Mob Cap, "He'll manage."

Maybach soon was coupled to the train and set off. The goods train was heavy and Maybach began to have trouble with it.

"No matter..." he strained, "...I'll have this goods train delivered in no time!"

He climbed up Hiroto's Hill and began feeling a tingling in his engine.

"This is nothing." he tried consoling himself, "The train's just heavy is all."

Then there was trouble. Whilst in the works, when his rear engine was being mended. His rear engine had a few parts replaced and was hastily sent out. But his rear engine's issues were more than that. A small piece had caught loose and was rubbing against the engine block. It also didn't help that a fuel line was leaking and was dripping diesel fuel in the compartment. While diesel fuel doesn't catch fire by itself, with the right combination of air and temperature, the diesel will combust.

Maybach's straining was taking in lots and lots of air. He was at the top and was about to go down when suddenly, his rear engine exploded! He screamed in pain as his rear engine's powerplant was thrown into the air and landed by the side of the air with a loud metallic thud. His driver immediately put on the brakes and climbed out. She took the fire extinguisher out once more and put out the flames, by the time the flames were put out. Maybach felt himself move slightly. His driver was about to get back in the cab, when Maybach started to move faster down the hill.

"Help! Help!" he said, still in pain.

His braking systems were damaged by the explosion and the train couldn't be stopped. He charged down the hill at a dangerous speed as the heavy trucks pushed Maybach down the hill and down the mainline. A warning was sent down the line and a set of trap points were set. Maybach was going so fast that once he derailed over the trap points, the trucks scattered across part of the mainline.

"At least...I'm safe." said a breathless Maybach.

But his relief soon ended as he heard Hiroto's whistle. He had been cleared as the signalwoman assumed that the trucks wouldn't spread over the other tracks. Hiroto shut his eyes as he slammed into a goods van at full speed and crashed into an open wagon, his front bogie jumped off the rails and he derailed with several other coaches.

Reimu and the Scarlet Controller was called. Another train was called to take the passengers away and the breakdown train was sorting the mess. Maybach was now back to his depressed self.

"I'm a failed engine." he said to the Scarlet Controller.

"Your not a failed engine." said the Scarlet Controller, "In fact, Nitori asked if she could rebuild you."

"Really? She will?!" said Maybach, excitedly.

"Yes. Unlike Rika, she knows how to build a proper railway locomotive. She asked because she noticed you came in for repairs the most out of all the other engine had as of recently."

It took a while for the mess to be cleared, but soon, Maybach was put back on the rails and was towed to the works. It took Nitori Kawashiro months to rebuild Maybach, everything from his bogies to his engines had to be reworked.

Summer was nearly over when Maybach was returned to service. He no longer had the engines of a Panzer III anymore. In fact, he had special engines installed and they worked much better.

He felt strong and continued to work the Sanzu River Branchline. He didn't feel as sad as he used to feel, in fact, he was finally happy with his design. Sometimes, Komachi would stop to wave at him as he went by her. Maybach's teething troubles were over.


End file.
